Archive for month: June, 2017

Award winning Events Production Company Eventologists have recently become members of MSDUK delivering event theming, conference management, exhibition planning and build services to members. The company which was established in 2011 has developed a reputation of delivering newness and an edge to events it undertakes. Its reputation for delivering experiential and immersive events has led to many successes including an array of some of the most well-known brands such as Google, Facebook, Santander, Coca Cola, PWC amongst its customer base!

The company based in Oadby, Leicestershire has grown year on year, but their customer service philosophy of maintaining the personal touch and attention of a small company been the reason for their success according to Director Sit Chandarana. “Whether delivering a large event or a small scale meeting, we’ve always maintained the highest levels of service and attention – in this way some of our smallest customers have now become long standing customers.”

Sital explains the unique way of working.

“We have specialists across all platforms from conference management, exhibition management through to a massive creative department. Where we are different is that all the talent and products exists in house, so customers always receive value for money. Our creative minds explode when designing bespoke events ensuring any area to be transformed from a blank canvas to a mind-blowing creation. At Eventologists we consider and design all aspects of the space with only our agreed vision in mind. By incorporating the whole area into our creations, we are able to deliver inclusive experiences which will certainly leave a positive, and long lasting impression in your guests minds.”

An excellent way to create an immersive experience is to amaze and include your guests as they arrive. Before your event even starts, within the first few moments of people arriving, create theatre and incorporate a dramatic entrance piece or interactive features. We have multiple theatrical designs which can be used to set the ambience and atmosphere. It is imperative that everything is strategically placed with care. An illusion of depth and theatre is formed, ensuring drama at every point, creating that wow factor and fantastic experience everyone talks about and remembers.

Many of our clients want an experiential element as part of their conference or exhibition as whilst conventional shell scheme and small booths have their place, the element of surprise and excitement gives excellent opportunity of recall of products and services.”

Whatever the event, Eventologists have become integral partners to brands across the country and now to MSDUK members! Sital concludes “It’s the experiences and atmospheres that create and our seamless delivery that has brought us great success. We are delighted to become new members of MSDUK flying the flag of high of minority businesses.”

Many organisations are moving towards a more inclusive and therefore diverse supplier base, when it comes to procuring goods and services. This can only be a good thing – especially as it prompts the creation of a diverse supply chain that works to secure the inclusion of diverse groups in the procurement plans across all sectors. Emerging research shows that companies that include supplier diversity as part of their larger business plan tend to be more profitable than those that don’t.

According to a study in 2015 carried out by The Hackett Group, supplier diversity can add – on average – ‘$3.6 million to the bottom line for every $1 million in procurement operation costs’.

So how do you identify a diverse business? There are many different categories including Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE), and Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). In order for companies to be able to record diverse spend, it must ensure its partners are certified through the relevant third-party bodies. Here at Gibbs Hybrid, we are proud to be both WBE and EMB certified. Furthermore, we are the 6th largest global diversity firm.

We have found our certification invaluable and it has opened many doors for us with the very largest FTSE100 companies. Indeed, it is our mission to partner with and educate large corporate enterprises as to the benefits of working with a diverse business – after all, we want our customers to reflect the community, which is growing evermore diverse.

Frustratingly, many companies still see inclusion and diversity as some sort of ‘tick box’ exercise, which benefits certain groups but doesn’t have any impact on the bottom line. The fact is that a competitive advantage has been proven to exist, is leading to more and more companies including diversity as part of their strategy – those that overlook it are endangering their bottom line.

Naturally, diversity means that a whole host of new innovation, products, services and solutions can emerge, which provides a variety of channels from which goods and services can be procured. When it comes to the staffing industry, it means companies can attract and retain talent from across the board, providing a true reflection of the country and local communities.

“As small businesses grow, so will our economy.”

With that in mind, we are so proud of our initiative in collaboration with Barclays and Catch 22 to design and implement a solid apprenticeship that will help young people and veterans from all walks of life back into work.

In my experience, supplier diversity is of huge benefit to everyone. Speaking to many start-ups in my capacity as an ambassador for the ‘Women of the Future’ Programme and my position on the Advisory Board for Mosaic Network (Princes Trust) founded by HRH Prince of Wales, they mention encountering barriers that challenge their fledgling business. These barriers include access to capital and networking opportunities, which is why organisations like MSDUK are invaluable – that and more corporates getting on board and including diversity in the business strategies.

As small businesses grow, so will our economy. Because most diverse businesses are small businesses, they aid in the economic recovery and sustainability of their communities. Something we are constantly striving to improve and raise awareness of.

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Farida Gibbs is the Key Note speaker at the MSDUK 2017 Business Show. You can register for the Show here and see who else will be speaking here.

In just under a year, award winning company The Cheeky Panda, who create sustainable, skin friendly tissue paper products from Bamboo, have made a mark on the world of sustainability.

The company, founded by Julie Chen and Chris Forbes, started off selling conventional toilet tissue back in August 2016. Since then they have been nominated for 10 awards in less than 12 months for innovation and sustainability; taking on a lot of initial feedback from early adopters who desired the brand to create a range of products for both retail and B2B.

In March this year, The Cheeky Panda launched their professional range which included, 300 meter jumbo rolls, 150 meter mini jumbo rolls and Z Fold Handtowels. The release was a commercial success and are set to be utilised by some flagship financial services clients.

Just two months later, in May, they launched the long box and cube box facial tissue; these products, with their distinctive white and green bamboo packaging, have since made multiple appearances in meeting rooms across the country.

Looking forward, The Cheeky Panda are maintaining strong relationships with large corporations and are looking to supply their distinctive products internationally.

Awards wise, the company have been shortlisted for The Green Awards 2017 for Fast Track Company of the Year and the National Recycling Awards 2017 for Waste Prevention.

The company said:

“It a great honour and privilege to be recognised by these two most prestigious Green and Recycling Awards. To be in the final alongside brands like Costa Coffee and Pod Point is a great achievement for our Bamboo Tissue business. We save a tonne of carbon per 1,000 people per month, versus conventional tissue, the ultra-sustainability of bamboo and the luxury quality of our tissue has given us a massive adoption curve and we are still at the start of a very amazing journey. “

The new products, including the Cube Tissue and Long box Tissue, are now available on Amazon, Lyreco and CLF.

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For more information about The Cheeky Panda, please visit their website

The 21st September 2017 will see the launch of the Innovation Challenge, a new initiative by MSDUK, the leading national supplier diversity non-profit organisation. This event is sponsored by Cummins and will take place the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.

The purpose of the Innovation Challenge is to provide young and established BAME entrepreneurs with a prospect to obtain funding and support by pitching an innovative product, solution or technology to corporate investors, venture capitalists and angel investors. Two winners will be awarded scholarships to attend one week residential Executive Programme at the Tuck Business School in the USA. These prizes are awarded by EY.

MSDUK is looking for applicants that have innovative product or solutions in a variety of sectors including:

Denis Ford, International Sourcing Leader at Cummins Ltd commented: ‘Innovation is a key driver to any sustainable business and we at Cummins see the value that innovation and creative thinking can achieve against any identified problem areas. The MSDUK Innovation Challenge will bring together some of the inspiring ideas from a great network of entrepreneurs that we already know can deliver and Cummins are proud to sponsor this inaugural event.’

The levels of entrepreneurship among the BAME community in the UK are increasing compared to the rest of the population and the number of ethnic minority start-ups is high compared to other groups.

According to a report by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) the Total Early Stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA), the rate that measures the proportion of working aged people involved in setting up or running a businesses which is less than three years old, for ethnic minorities this rate is 11.7% compared to people from other backgrounds measuring at 6.4%. However, despite these positive figures BAME businesses often struggle to attract investment, have the appropriate support they need to develop or access opportunities with large organisations.

Farida Gibbs, CEO of Gibbs Hybrid Workforce Solutions and Headline Sponsors for the Business Show commented: “While it is encouraging that higher numbers of the BAME community are realising their ambitions and starting up their own businesses, there is always more that can be done to help them and others who have not yet taken the plunge. Entrepreneurship, ambition and passion should not be limited by colour, race or religion, and businesses need to strive towards reflecting the diverse communities in which they exist. At Gibbs Hybrid Workforce Solutions, we successfully partner with our customers to help them reflect the wider community in their supply chain”.

BAME business in the UK are at the forefront of innovative technology, for them to be successful it is necessary that access to markets, investment and know-how becomes available and through Innovation Challenge programme MSDUK is aiming to achieve just that.

Further information and application forms can be downloaded from here.

Entrepreneur Syed Ahmed (best known for his appearance on The Apprentice), the founder and MD of the multi-award winning hand drying technology manufacturer, SAVORTEX, has teamed up with Intel to launch the adDryer, the world’s first smart and revenue share producing hand dryer for the corporate washroom sector. It follows successful trials at Heathrow Airport, RBS and the British Library, and the recent announcement of SAVORTEX as a Successful Innovator by the American Fortune 500 corporation Cummins, as part of its Environmental Gateway programme.

The adDryer is an IoT-enabled smart dryer which includes a digital screen that can deliver tailored, high-definition video messages to users, which can be used for internal marketing or as an additional revenue stream. By working with the building owner, SAVORTEX can create an audience value of the estate based on the users of the building, for example gender, age and occupation. The company’s media buyers can then use this information to set and agree a cost per view rate that will be paid to the building owner each time someone uses an adDryer and sees an advert, thus creating revenue.

Built on Intel technology, the adDryer also alerts cleaners to washroom needs based on actual footfall allowing companies to transform wasteful and costly commercial washrooms into connected, hygienic, and sustainable revenue-producing assets.

SAVORTEX’s range of energy saving and smart EcoCurve hand dryers has been designed to transform the washroom market by delivering unrivalled levels of sustainability, energy savings and operational resource savings from the analysis of meaningful data. Each of the dryers in the range shares the same features including:

A sleek sustainable design

A depth of just 134 mm

A patented energy recovery and curved air delivery technology which results in a 66% energy saving compared to any other dryer on the market and 97% savings when compared to using paper towels

Syed Ahmed, Managing Director at SAVORTEX said: “The aim of the EcoCurve range is to disrupt the washroom sector. With a focus on smart connected devices, providing data and insights for operators, it is unique in the market. The adDryer allows companies to transform wasteful and costly commercial washrooms into connected, hygienic, and sustainable revenue-producing assets. This revolutionary product that will help businesses reduce costs and boost revenue.”

Rod O’Shea, EMEA IoT Group Director, at Intel UK, said: “This is Intel’s first foray into the hand drying sector. It is a great opportunity to demonstrate how with smart building management and connected devices, enterprises can use data to drive additional revenue streams while reducing operational costs and saving energy. We are proud to work with SAVORTEX, co-developing a product which we can bring to market to drive great customer experiences.”

Martin McCourt, former CEO at Dyson, said: “It is fantastic to see a British company leading the way in technological innovation. SAVORTEX is a forward thinking and dynamic company with a product range that will revolutionise the washroom sector. I was instantly impressed with the adDryer and look forward to seeing what they do next.”

Vimto Out of Home (OoH), the 40-year veteran drinks industry supplier has consolidated its distribution, scheduling, billing and stock management with Portech Systems’ Field Service Executive (FSE) workflow management system.

Following Vimto OoH’s acquisition of frozen drinks supplier The Noisy Drinks Co. in 2015 the company had been operating a combination of paper-based job management and a previous version of FSE developed for the frozen drinks market. Now, Portech’s new FSE serves all of Vimto OoH’s mobile field staff and provides a unified view of stock, work and assets across all parts of the business.

The new FSE system provides a centrally managed data collection point that communicates with Vimto OoH’s range of mobile computing devices and eliminates the need for drivers to make multiple return visits to a depot each day. The system also integrates with Vimto OoH’s Sage invoicing system and legacy IT systems, reducing the time taken to generate invoices and improving data quality.

Additional benefits for Vimto OoH include:

Ability to handle between 850-900 jobs per week

Accurate records of stock, assets and maintenance history

Diarising scheduled maintenance calls and ensuring that they are made

Improved visibility over mobile workforce

Maximised active time for field engineers

Better information available to field based team

Graham Hodges, Internal Operations Manager commented: “Portech is a great team. The support is perfect for our needs, very flexible and responsive. With remote access to servers and data, the Portech team can dial in very quickly and securely to help us service our customers.

“They really understand our business model and requirements. This knowledge has been built up over several years, and we trust them to deliver new features and functionality to improve our business processes with the bespoke system they have developed for us.”

The system has been rolled out onto Vimto OoH’s existing mobile and rugged handhelds. Portech advised Vimto OoH on hardware selection for temporary drivers and the FSE system also runs on the ruggedised ToughTab tablets procured for those drivers.

Shaz Naeem, Managing Director, Portech Systems, added: “We had been working with The Noisy Drinks Co. for over ten years and when the Vimto OoH team saw the effectiveness of FSE they recognised that it was the right workflow and stock management solution to help them grow the business further.

“Vimto OoH is just one of the companies that is benefitting from Portech’s expertise in transforming paper-based stock and work management systems with mobile technology that streamlines job management and eliminates the need to shut down operations for stock-taking.”

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About Portech Systems Ltd

Portech Systems Ltd is at the forefront of mobile computer solutions. Since 1992 its mission has been to provide complete mobile enterprise solutions for both large and small-to-medium sized businesses including PayPoint, Slush Puppie and Virgin Trains. The company designs, develops and supports cutting-edge wireless and mobile computer software solutions that enable its customers to improve productivity, lower costs and enhance customer service.

With 40 years of experience in industry, Vimto Out of Home (OoH) offers a unique and refreshing range of dispense, frozen and packaged soft drinks, including the world’s biggest soft drinks brands – Coca Cola and Pepsi. Supporting the product range, its team delivers outstanding customer service; with same day technical support, preventative maintenance, and nationwide distribution.

Headquartered in Warrington, the company employs 65+ field engineers and its customers include pub chains, amusement arcades and cinemas across the UK.

Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK) is delighted to announce that Gibbs Hybrid Workforce Solutions will be this year’s headline sponsor of their signature business show, held at Edgbaston cricket Ground on 21st September 2017.

The Annual Business Show is the UK’s only expo that focuses on connecting some of the fastest growing and innovative ethnic minority-owned businesses with public and private sector procurement organisations.

Mayank Shah, CEO of MSDUK says: “Our Headline sponsors, Gibbs Hybrid Workforce Solutions, epitomise what it means to be a successful ethnic minority and woman owned business. Recording record growth for the sixth year running and smashing industry averages, Gibbs – an International provider of Hybrid Workforce Solutions – has made impressive inroads by offering access to and visibility of talented resources for leading FTSE100 companies and becoming a Tier 1 supplier thereof. We are delighted to have them as headline sponsors”.

CEO, Farida Gibbs says: “We are extremely proud to be headline sponsors of such an important event. I will be sharing my insights and expertise as well as the learnings I have picked up along the way on this tremendous journey. I believe it is essential that businesses – whatever their size – are given the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities so that they in return support their communities. By partnering with corporate suppliers, we can work with them to do just that”.

The MSDUK 2017 Business Show will provide opportunity to ethnic minority businesses from across the UK to meet, network and present their products and services to over 100 buyers and category managers from top global corporate organisations including IBM, Bristol-Myers Squibb, EY, CBRE, MasterCard, Cummins, Accenture and others.

So, whether you are starting or growing business; launching a new product or bringing destructive technology to the market; want to meet potential investors or buyers for your products- MSDUK 2017 Business Show is the place you need to be.

Furthermore, if you are a buyer from a large private or public sector organisation that is committed to inclusion of diverse businesses that can bring innovation, competitiveness and flexibility in your sourcing operations, you need to be at the MSDUK 2017 Business Show.